David Brooks continues today with his overarching thesis on America, which says, more or less, that America is not divided by issues, but rather by the fact that one half of the country sees a completely different reality from the other.
Now we have what seems to be independent confirmation of this belief, courtesy of the University of Maryland. And the results aren’t favorable for Bush supporters. According to the study, most Bush supporters believe things that blatantly aren’t true. I don’t know how to put too fine a point on this: the election is tied because Bush’s supporters are mostly ignorant. That may sound harsh, but it’s now a fact. From foreign policy to environmental policy, Bush’s supporters believe things that aren’t true.
How is it possible that with 5 major TV news networks, 5 24-hour news channels, umpteen newspapers and radio stations, the American public is still so grossly misinformed?
(hat tip: Volokh.)
UPDATE: I realized, after thinking about it, that my boldface above was a little bit extreme. All this study actually proves is that Bush’s supporters are ignorant. It doesn’t prove that if they were educated on these issues, they would necessarily vote for Kerry. But it’s certainly a strong possibility.
Now Playing: Episode 355
Democrats in Denver, Republicans in St. Paul, and Iraqis in Anbar.
Links Mentioned: Robert Caro on Obama … Americans hand over Anbar … John Kerry’s surprisingly good convention speech … Sarah Palin’s governing problems
